Comments on Joy as Sharp as a Sword

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Thank you so much. It has been fun working with you! And trying to correct the copy also, between my nerves and eye surgeries, and you making fun of me all the time. I am looking at the jumbled mess which is the next chapter now--in a leisurely way, since I know you will be away for a couple of days. It's the payoff chapter for all your waiting. I'll be so happy to get it done.

Thank you so much. It has been fun working with you! And trying to correct the copy also, between my nerves and eye surgeries, and you making fun of me all the time. I am looking at the jumbled mess which is the next chapter now--in a leisurely way, since I know you will be away for a couple of days. It's the payoff chapter for all your waiting. I'll be so happy to get it done.

Thank you so much for reading this chapter and commenting. I've been having fun writing this. It's hard for me to imagine how Nargothrond works and I am trying to imagine it somewhat realistically here! (As though that were even impossible for me in this case--the idea of an underground city kind of straggers my imagination.)

It is almost 4 years removed from my first review of your Mereth Aderthad--a review in which I whined about how you teased with the possibility of this threesome and requested that you someday write it.

And now you have.

I'm glad you finally stopped beating down the idea, as it were. It is most satisfactory, especially since Findrod's excitement and anticipation leads him away from being the salacious flirt he was to the sweet and almost naive participant he becomes.

Before Mereth, I would never have imagined these three writhing around in bed together. Now, it's an image I am not wont to get out of my head. Thank you so much.



Self-indulgence is the best indulgence; at least it is in your hands when applied to Fingon, Maedhros, and...FINROD!  This was so much fun to read, so rich in details and culture.  Thoroughly enjoyed the lush descriptions of Nargothrond as Maitimo and Finno experience it.  You take the reader right there.  I felt like I was at the feast with its culinary offerings (including cheese - hahahaha!) and the musical accompaniment.  The Bedroom Chapter™ was a pleasure (heh) to read.  You manage to combine hot sex and humor so well.  Finno slays me, re: his annoyance at Maitimo's penchant for scientific reductionism (I can relate) and Ingo's abstract philosophical mysticism.  Finno just wants to capture the moment, the intensity of carnality coupled with affection, spot-on with your wonderfully consistent characterization of him.

At any rate, I enjoyed Joy as Sharp as a Sword immensely (OK, OK, you have an epilog coming, right, but it's nearly complete to me), and reading it helped recharge the DM's batteries after intense concentration on work-related writing.



I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this review. You nailed what I wanted to cast light on when I wrote it. On the other hand, I was racked with uncertainty over whether I had really crossed the line of self-indulgence or not--not the sex stuff but laying out there so unsubtly how I really feel about these three characters. I just want to write them as real, but good guys. Good guys have tragic flaws also. I am blathering. Woohoo! More than one really intelligent person thought this story was actually OK! Hey! I can't ask for a lot more in my tiny little darkened corner of the Silm fandom!! Tolkien has created a lot of characters I love to think about, but Fingon, Maedhros, and Finrod are way up at the top of my list. So it really meant a lot to me that you liked this.

and reading it helped recharge the DM's batteries after intense concentration on work-related writing

Nothing could make me happier than this!

I just finished reading this through and enjoying every minute of it. It's nice to see Finrod working on Nargothrond and all the touches he's using to make the caves home-like. Finrod's work to stave off his lonlieness is a perfect introduction for the arrival of Fingon and Maedhros with their very interesting proposal. I love the way they all flirt with each other and Finrod's astuteness in catching on to Fingon and Maedhros's unspoken communication. I also love that the mind touches worked in later during the amazing and endearing sex scene. The personalities here are amazing as always and your version of Finrod makes me like him even more. This is such a sweet moment of time for these characters. You do these deceptively simple slices of life stories that have so much depth and poigancy when taken in context with canon. This is a beautiful and satisfying addition to your oeuvre.